10 Things to Smile About: #FamilyForward Edition

Every month, I make a list of 10 things to smile about, a great reminder of all the good that’s happened. This month, I could easily make a list of 100 for just the 6 days that we spent at the Family Forward Retreat, put on by Mom It Forward at Universal Studios Orlando. But, I’ll try to keep it down to just 10. For now.

On our first night of Family Forward, we had a luau in Jurassic Park and then were able to ride the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade over to Diagon Alley, the newest area in Universal Studios Orlando(it just opened in July).

Getting to ride Escape from Gringotts without a big line. It’s the newest ride and we were able to go on it twice! My three boys all loved it: my 9 year old is a Harry Potter FANATIC so he loved seeing the scene from the last book come to life from a different perspective. My 6 year old is a daredevil and just loved all the twists and turns and frights. AGAIN, I want to do it AGAIN! Plus, you got to see the goblins working in the bank and the fire-breathing dragon on top of Gringotts.

In Ollivanders, there’s a wand choosing ceremony where one child gets picked to test out different wands until the right wand chooses the wizard. I literally teared up when it was my Harry Potter-loving oldest who was selected and had to blindly snap (flash-off because that’s the rule) photos and hope that one came out because I couldn’t see clearly through the emotion.

Our little Gryffindors, outfitted in Madam Malkin’s. She showed them the proper way ensure the correct fit of your robes. We were traveling with one of The Soccer Moms families, which is why you’ll see some extra kids in some of my photos. Even the adults tried on our robes. I tried on Ravenclaw robes because that would definitely be my house. Of course we sampled Butterbeer and some other pretty fantastic drinks and desserts while we were in Diagon Alley.

Spending a day as a family, at Lowes Portofino Bay hotel, crafting with DohVinci, chatting with pilots from Southwest, making lunch with Barilla, and having a close(almost too close) encounter with a croc with Animal Jam. This pic sums up my family: all the boys in soccer gear, mom being the only girl in the group.

Getting Minion hugs! We were able to get pictures with the Minions, Transformers, the Simpsons, Scooby, Shrek, and more. Afterwards, we learned a dance to “Happy” that we went out into the park and performed, flash mob style.

A VIP Minion Mayhem experience. Meredith with Universal Studios was tweeting out some clues to her whereabouts during our time in the parks and the first family to find her would get a surprise. We dashed to her at the Minion Mayhem ride, a favorite of my boys, and were granted front of the line treatment and a little extra treat at the end of the ride.

The interactive wands in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The wand that chose my son is one of the new wands to the parks that actually can cast spells in both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. You have to find the designated spots and follow the instructions to move your wand in the pictured way and say the correct spell in order for it to work. Sometimes it took a little wand training to get it just right. The boys could have spent all day just doing this.

And of course, what made this so special was all the family time. We traveled in a group of 10 and got used to counting 6 heads everywhere we went to be sure we had all the kids with us. Here we are at dinner at Vivo Italian, one of the newest restaurants on Universal’s Citywalk.

Photo courtesy of Mom It Forward

To see more about Family Forward, be sure you’re following along in the days to come(because yes, there’s much more to do there than Harry Potter and Minion themed activities- those just happened to be some of our biggest WOW moments). Also, check out my instagram to see more photos. You can also check out my advice for families traveling to Universal Studios Orlando.

Thanks to Universal Orlando and all the sponsors of the Family Forward Retreat put on by Mom It Forward, my family was able to attend this event at a discounted rate. However, all opinions and magical fun are my own.

Ah, so many things to smile about!! I could also make a list of 100 or more! This looks so much fun! I wish we would have had a chance to visit Universal Studios when we were on that side of the country! I guess we will have to get back. What amazing memories you just made!

Of course, YOU are always a WOW moment, your husband is such a delight (my Mom would like to know if he has a brother for me) and your boys are always a pleasure! These are super awesome shots, every time i tried to take a pic of the dragon … i got a huge orange fireball 😉

So glad to have your family back for a second year of Family Forward fun! And, great to meet your co-soccer mom! You all contributed to our team’s WOW moments. The event wouldn’t have been the same without you. And… apparently, we’ll be showing up on your doorstep soon. Connor is already talking about visiting his new BFF, Jack!

That looks like so much fun! It really would be heaven for anyone that loves Harry Potter, so fun that there is so much of the story there. Always fun to do trips like this with friends too. Glad you were able to attend. Any vide of the flash mob? 🙂

I was there too and absolutely loved every minute of it. It’s fun to see the things you did that we didn’t get to (but will have to next time!). Universal Studies and Islands of Adventure were amazing!

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[…] Animal Jam was created in partnership with National Geographic. Along with playing, kids can learn about life sciences and even ask real life scientists questions. My boys were so excited that they got to meet the real life Dr. Brady Barr this summer at Family Forward. […]

Welcome to Things I Can't Say: Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom. I'm Shell. Boy mom, beach girl, bookworm, ball games, baker, brand ambassador, Thinking yoga, food, and travel should start with "b," too. Finding the easiest way to do some things while overthinking so many others. Read More…